Church leaders on wealth and poverty

#925 for broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 13 Jul 2014.

Thousands of Christians flocked to Sydney’s Olympic Park last week for the annual Hillsong Conference.  Speaking to media as he kicked off the event, Hillsong pastor Brian Houston said he had never believed in a “prosperity gospel” whereby one follows Jesus expecting material wealth to follow.

He said the church, and individual Christians, had a choice to use the many blessings of God for themselves or for others.

Pope Francis also spoke about wealth last week, but took a harder line, referring to American-style capitalism as “a new tyranny” and the equivalent of idol worship for the way it exploits the poor.  He said the world economic system was forced to wage war, and “sacrifice man at the feet of the idol of money” in order to survive.

There is truth in both perspectives.  We need to examine ourselves, and our economic life, and our economic institutions and structures, for signs of corruption, and madness.

I’m Rod Benson for the NSW Council of Churches.